Review: The French Kitchen

A historical fiction with dual timelines on two continents regarding the Second World War and French cooking? If The French Kitchen by Kristy Cambron doesn't make you hungry for fine dining by the end, the cover will surely inspire you to don an apron. What a dreamy cover! 😍🇫🇷

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

As Paris rebuilds in the aftermath of World War II, Kat Fontaine never expected the skills she learned in a French chateau kitchen to be the key that unlocks the secrets swirling in her new post-war life.

Paris, 1952—Still haunted by the years she spent serving in the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, ex-pat Kat Fontaine, now living in Paris, finds a simple cookery class led by indomitable chef Julia Child unearths the tangle of gut-wrenching memories of war. Determined to find her brother who went missing during the war and is presumed dead, Kat questions everything, especially her high-ranking society husband whose past is as murky as her own. But when the puzzle pieces start to come together—and her carefully crafted Paris world begins to fall apart—Kat must confront her own secrets against the mounting suspicions of the husband she thought she knew . . .

Rue, 1943—Deep in the heart of Nazi-controlled northern France, Manon Altier shifts between working for the enemy by day—as a French chef at the famous Chateau du Broutel, where names like Himmler, Rommel, and Goebbels frequent the guest list--and running with underground networks against the Vichy regime at night. Working undercover to filter critical information to agents within the burgeoning OSS presence in France, Manon digs deep into the glitz and glamour of a Nazi stronghold that has her teetering on the edge of being discovered at any turn. But when an intriguing stranger appears at the chateau claiming to work with the French Resistance, Manon must lean on her instincts to judge whether to run and hide or stand firm—even as a terrifying discovery tests her resolve to continue the fight.

From the heights of culinary cuisine in 1950s Paris society to the underbelly of a WWII spy network embedded deep within Nazi-controlled Vichy France—and the spy backstory of the world's most famous would-be French chef, Julia Child—The French Kitchen turns up the heat on the pasts of women whose worlds collide, and forces each to question what she thought she'd planned for a perfect future.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

Reading this book is like working through a multiple-course meal where there is enough to savour in each bite while waiting for the full composition of the meal to reveal itself to you once it's complete. In uncovering various threads throughout time and history and not quite knowing where it'll take you, Kristy Cambron expertly guides you to believe that it will all come together like a masterpiece. Combining undercover agents with Julia Child’s kitchen, this book is a hearty mystery with many surprising turns along the way. While I could never match Kat Fontaine’s bravery or astounding mix of skillsets, it is heartening to know that she had to start somewhere as a brand new cook and that over time, she was able to master another domain that traditionally kept women out of the kitchen.

This is clean fiction with scant references to Providence, so it will likely have widespread appeal to other wartime reading enthusiasts. Noting that, it is still incredible how the hand of the Almighty protects the characters when all odds seem against them. It's not hard to believe that those fighting for what is right are able to carry out covert operations with assistance beyond themselves, executing a number of miraculous escapes along the way. If you enjoy descriptions of French food while working out which agents are working for what side during the Second World War, The French Kitchen offers a deeper glimpse into how life looked in France during the German occupation and how Julia Child herself played a role with the Allies.

Book Summary

• Format of book: 📖
• Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Recommendation: 👍